Pintoh - Melbourne

Zero rapport/contact with our waiter. Not even a greeting, or a voice. Understandably his English may not have been perfect, but given this is a customer servic... read more Zero rapport/contact with our waiter. Not even a greeting, or a voice. Understandably his English may not have been perfect, but given this is a customer service profession, it is unacceptable from wait staff. When ordering, I was told 4 of the 6 items from the Entrees section were unavailable. Unacceptable for a Friday night. Place was empty too, and I can see why, giiven the Thai competition some 2 doors down had a queue out the door. Won't be returning here. The food itself was very average,

Conveniently located... tick! ✅ Trams, Parliament station, shopping.No fuss venue... tick! ✅ It's not one of those pretentious white linen places where the wa... read more Conveniently located... tick! ✅ Trams, Parliament station, shopping.No fuss venue... tick! ✅ It's not one of those pretentious white linen places where the waitstaff scowl at you for mis-aligning the cutlery.Friendly staff... tick! ✅ See above.Shared plates amongst friends who want to focus on catching up... tick! ✅ Delicious food... tick! ✅ We can't rave enough about the soft pillowy salted egg yolk scallops, the soft shell crab, the papaya salad and the ribs. Sharing the braised beef noodles was a little challenging - so delicious you wanted it all but being in polite company meant you "shouldn't" have the last lot... well, someone's gotta take one for the team! If you're looking for a sinful bar-snack type appetiser, try the chicken skin with its one of a type chilli mayo (go easy the first bite if you're sensitive to chilli heat)Any regrets?... tick! ✅ Well the thing about sitting down to an early dinner is not being able to see what everyone else is having (for inspiration, of course)... and as we were filing out, saw that the pad Thai was very popular... so whilst I can't give a review of that dish, safe to say that I'll be back for it!

My husband and I had lunch at Pintoh and it was fantastic. Very reasonably priced, service was prompt and friendly, and the food beautifully cooked and presente... read more My husband and I had lunch at Pintoh and it was fantastic. Very reasonably priced, service was prompt and friendly, and the food beautifully cooked and presented.

This charming little casual restaurant is promoted as a Lao eatery (with a Lao flag on their sign), but it actually features more Thai dishes than Lao on the me... read more This charming little casual restaurant is promoted as a Lao eatery (with a Lao flag on their sign), but it actually features more Thai dishes than Lao on the menu. While this was a bit disappointing for me, they still offered some traditional Lao favorites such as chicken larb, papaya salad (made Lao-style), Kuvieng fried chicken, and sticky rice (albeit served in a bowl instead of a bamboo basket). I wished there were more Lao options on the menu, including vegetarian dishes. It would have been nice to see some jeow (dips) or different types of larb. We shared three appetizers, two entrees, and a salad with sticky rice among four people, and it was more than enough food. Most dishes were well-prepared and tasted authentic. The Beer Lao was cold and delicious. The service was decent, although our Korean waitress was friendly but lacking in knowledge about Lao cuisine. I would recommend this restaurant and suggest exploring beyond the usual Thai offerings to try the delightful Lao cuisine, which may encourage the owners to expand their Lao food selection as well!

We discovered this café through Trip Advisor and decided to give it a try based on its excellent reviews. We were not disappointed. Initially seated at a large... read more We discovered this café through Trip Advisor and decided to give it a try based on its excellent reviews. We were not disappointed. Initially seated at a large table near the window, we found it difficult to converse comfortably and opted to move to a booth halfway down the café, which proved to be a better choice. The staff was friendly, courteous, and helpful, and we enjoyed their sense of humor. Our appetizers, squid and dumplings, were generously portioned and came with delicious sauces. We ordered our main dishes one at a time to avoid mixing flavors and ensure they stayed hot. The massaman curry, made with slow-cooked beef cheek, was perfectly cooked and literally melted in our mouths. The pork belly had a bit too many Asian green stalks, but was still tasty, and the Pad Thai was exceptional, which is saying a lot as we are quite picky about this dish. The wine selection was decent, although we were unfamiliar with the brands, we can recommend the Miritu Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand. We found this café to offer good value for money and would definitely return.